RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Normal aging is characterised by alterations affecting the cognitive functions. In 1958 Kral coined the term 'benign senescent forgetfulness' to designate a memory disorder that is different from those that occur during normal aging. In 1986, a group of researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health and other centres proposed a novel neuropsychological entity called age-related memory disorder. The determination of the prevalence, progression and risk factors of this condition currently represents an important challenge for the scientific community. AIMS: To establish the rate of prevalence and to identify some of the risk factors involved in age-related memory disorders. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The universe consisted of all the patients over 50 years of age from a health district (234 individuals); the diagnostic criteria were applied to the whole sample. In addition to the patients, a control group was also chosen in order to be able to establish a correlation with selected risk factors. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rate was found to be 39.7%, of which 38.7% were males and 40.4% were females. It was also observed that the impairment was greater as the patient's age and the length of the disease history increased. As far as risk factors are concerned, it was observed that smoking and psychosocial characteristics constitute predisposing factors, while this was not the case for arterial hypertension, a history of dementia and the satisfaction of basic needs.
Assuntos
Envelhecimento/fisiologia , Transtornos da Memória/epidemiologia , Transtornos da Memória/fisiopatologia , Fatores Etários , Idoso , Cuba/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Transtornos da Memória/diagnóstico , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: In his description of the disease in his original work, James Parkinson claimed that the 'senses remained intact', but later reports began to identify cognitive impairment that ranged from dementia to barely identifiable subclinical deteriorations. Research carried out in recent decades has revealed that cognitive disorders form part of the clinical symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) and point to the frontal lobes as being the most affected areas; a great deal of controversy, however, still surrounds their definition, epidemiology and pathology. AIM: To determine and classify the frontal deficits associated to this disease and to relate this cognitive performance with certain characteristics of the disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The sample utilised in the study was made up of 222 subjects divided into two groups according to their diagnosis: 111 subjects with idiopathic PD and 111 control subjects. The neuropsychological examination was performed using the Frontal Assessment Battery, the copy of the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure and the digit test for determining frontal functioning. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We prove the existence of a frontal dysfunction that is characterised by impaired working memory, with visuospatial and executive dysfunction, which suggests greater involvement of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cingulate. According to our findings, because working memory and visuospatial functioning are correlated to the motor status and the time elapsed since the onset of the disease, they could share the same underlying neuroanatomical foundations--the nigrostriatal denervation. This is not the case of executive function, which was not found to be related to the characteristics of the disease under study.
Assuntos
Transtornos Cognitivos/fisiopatologia , Demência/fisiopatologia , Lobo Frontal/fisiologia , Doença de Parkinson/fisiopatologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Desempenho Psicomotor , Percepção Espacial/fisiologiaRESUMO
Se informan los casos de 20 pacientes menores de 50 anos, de uno y otro sexo que presentaron una enfermedad vasculoencefalica isquemica. Este estudio abarca los anos 1979, 1980 y 1981. Existe un predominio del sexo masculino, pero sin ser significativa la diferencia. Los factores de riesgo mas evidentes en ambos sexos y los distintos grupos de edad fueron: la hipertension arterial y el habito de fumar. En los pacientes del sexo masculino se encontraron tres con el antecedente de la ingestion de bebidas alcoholicas. Ello se ha valorado como un factor de riesgo. Un paciente de nuestra serie tenia el antecedente de la ingestion de anticonceptivos.Fue aplicado el test de "t" para muestras pequenas